FOXBOROUGH – LaQuan Williams didn’t hesitate when asked what he expects his role to be with the Patriots.

He’s here to fight.

Not literally. Signed by the Patriots last week, Williams said that he views special teams duty as a series of fights. And since he expects to make his contributions in that area of the game, that would technically make him a fighter -- at least in his mind.

“Special teams is really a fight,” Williams said. “If you come out and fight every play you’ll be all right.”

“That was my thing, just going out there and being able to outplay the guy in front of me,” he continued. “It was a one-on-one battle. It comes down to will. You got to have that fight in you to win on special teams.”

Williams joins the Patriots after spending the last two seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, where he served primarily on special teams and had four combined catches for 46 yards.

One of his bigger contributions on special teams came during the 2011 AFC title game when he forced a fumble by knocking the ball away from kickoff returner Danny Woodhead. When asked about the play, though, Williams downplayed the impact.

“That was a big play, man,” Williams said. “But at the end of the day, they ended up with the win so it really wasn’t that pivotal to the game.”

Williams was released by the Ravens prior to the season after suffering a hamstring injury, and finally got healthy enough to begin working out of teams a few weeks ago.

He said he received interest from a few other teams, but was glad that he ended up with the Patriots. The truth is, though, he could have been happy anywhere.

The time away from the game wasn’t easy for him, and now he just wants to play.

“It was just a blessing to get another option to play again,” he said.